Designs on the Perfect Galley...

I spent some time on the Teardrop and Tiny Travel Trailer page lurking and looking at all the different galley designs.  After clicking my way through over 500 images, I found some ideas for designing my own. 

I like a couple of elements of this design.  I like the center storage of the cooler/stove and the side table.  That cooler is pretty neat! The latches for the drawers are cool; reminds me of things I would find on a boat.  I guess these things kind of are like land yachts.  One wondering would be where is the table top stored when traveling?

I really like the cooler's slide out drawer and the stove 'table' that is built in to the drawer.  A simple water bottle, like the one in this image is perfect for me.  No 'sink' or water pump required.

This looks almost identical to my layout.  The cooler is the same and it will need to be in the center to accommodate the wheel wells.  It looks like the water jug is on rollers too, which would allow it to pull out for use.

 Another nice cooler tray, dressed up with a door.  I'm not sure I could make this work in my galley.

This just looks cool!  The accent of the stainless steel looks terrific; maybe too terrific for camping?

I really like the pull out drawer of this design (especially love the fold down front!  I am appreciating the power center over on the right side there.  This will be sort of how I need to lay out my power center.

I think this is a commercial design, The Little Guy, if I remember correctly.  I like that the cooler has its spot and that the power outlet is there for use.  I could stow my battery and power center in a cabinet like the one at the left.  I do like having some sort of counter.  This is where I wanted to use my beer cap counter top idea; instead of a back splash, it would be on the counter top.

I like how this table is attached to the side of the trailer.  There are some inexpensive brackets that can be purchased that allow you to do this.  Again, where would it be stored when traveling? 

That's enough dreaming for today.  Time for some rest.

Ripping Out the Galley

Today was a productive day!  I started by drilling out all the rivets on the hinge; all 60 of them!  This is what my drill bit looked like when I was done!  You can see the 'head's of the rivets on the drill bit.  The drill bit 'pops' off the rivet head and then you finish drilling it out to 'open' up the hole.

 Once the hinge was removed, I was able to take the hatch off.  Putting the hatch aside, I was then able to start drilling out the rivets that held the cabinetry in place.  I decided to take all the rivets out that were attached to the aluminum skin of the sides of the teardrop.

Then, I got Medieval on the cabinets.  My five pound sledge provided just the right amount of persuasion.  What needed additional persuasion was soon tamed by my reciprocating saws demolition blade. 

Thankfully, I managed to 'pop' a lot of the rivets and thus I didn't have to drill out all of the ones in the 'back' of the galley.

After deep cleaning the aluminum, I was able to spray the hatch and galley with the same paint as inside the cabin.

Hatch before:

Hatch After:

My wingman, Jim Tingey, came by today.  We spent most of our time talking through different design ideas.  I wanted to cover the front of the teardrop (the 2' above where the teardrop meets the frame) with diamond plate.  The reason for this would be to fix up some cosmetic concerns.  We figured out that the teardrop was installed on the present trailer frame and in doing so had to be retrofitted; hence the need to cover up some cosmetic issues.  The diamond plate was going to cost quite a bit; I had several estimates from local manufacturers and one from Pittsburgh, PA.  Jim's idea was to try something slightly out of the ordinary.  He suggested that I try looking at other materials; plastic or rubber.  I've contacted a good friend who's company makes just such a product.  Additionally, we talked about putting the battery on the trailer tongue.

After talking through a variety of designs and ideas, Jim suggested putting the battery, fuse box, etc. in the galley rather than putting it in a tongue box.  I had been looking at one of those cargo racks that you can use in combination with your tow hitch.  I saw some pictures online of a way to 'customize' a Harbor Freight rack to fit on the tongue of the trailer.

This would be an excellent way to have additional storage and maximize the aerodynamic boost of the design of the teardrop.  I put some of the most essential items in the newly painted galley and started working with some ideas.  Now, its time to study pictures of other people's galleys and begin designing my own.

While showing Jim the cabin, he wondered aloud if the 'shelf' could double as a bunk for my 11 year old.  We had him climb up into it and guess what?  He fits!  However, we'll end up adding some sort of storage cabinets there so the bunk idea is out of the question.  

We talked through adding insulation to the cabin and possibly a solution for how to add the same on the doors.  I'll probably end up adding the insulation and wood paneling to the doors in 'compartments,' rather than as one large piece.  It felt good to share ideas and solve some of the problems together.

My plans for tomorrow are to get the cabin water tight.  I am planning to remove the old caulk and install the bolts that hold the cabin to the plywood flooring.  After that, I'll put the other door on and install the weather stripping.  I may attempt to add the floor storage box tomorrow too.  My door and galley locks as well as the galley hinge will arrive next week.  I won't install them until after I have the window installation finalized.  I'm hanging on to the screen windows I've made until after I've decided if the sliding windows are going to meet my needs.

Woo Hoo They Are Going to Fit!

"Yes!"

That's me responding to an e-mail message from Teardrop Trailer Parts when I found out that the window will fit into my hatch opening!  My friend Larry and I traded a few e-mails today discussing whether there would be any structural issues.  Larry, agreed with me, that these would bring in a lot of light into the cabin.  I will need to do a slight trim of the aluminum of the doors, but things should fit.  Plus, the gasket on the window will compensate for any slight imperfections.  The only thing I did not quadruple check is the radius. 

I want to add these drop caps to my order.  With the window in its place, this will help push that rain away from the seal.

I'm so happy that this is going to work! 

Looking forward to a productive weekend; lots and lots of rivets to remove and a few coats of paint on the interior floor!

Possible Window?

I can't believe it.  In a random exploration of Pintrest, I may have found a teardrop window that will fit into my door.  I was looking for a door that would fit the hole in my teardrop, but ended up finding what may be a perfect window.  I will need to measure again at home, but this baby might just fit!

If it fits, or even if it is extremely close, I may consider cutting, or having cut the opening.  This would be incredible if I could get it to work!  The measurements are listed as 21" x 14."   I know for sure that the cut out for the hatch is 14" by 20"  It might be possible to have the door cut even larger to fit the window.  Man I hope this might work because it would be so much nicer to have a window than a 'hatch!'

I've sent an e-mail to the company with some photos of my hatch and I've measured several times. It seems doable.  Now, I just have to wait.

Lots of Paint

I had no idea when I first thought of painting the inside of my teardrop how much paint I would use.  I decided to use paint to seal the door and window frames and I thought I would use the same paint to give the interior of the cabin a fresh look.  (It was originally painted a pale turquoise that reminded me of a trip I took to Florida in 1979 when just about everything was that color!)  I think I've gone through 8 or 9 cans of Rustoleum gloss gray paint!

However, I am very happy with the result.  The inside is looking terrific.
Along with the screen windows, which are painted black, I painted the sliding doors on the bulkhead black.  I like the effect of the accent color on the interior.  The biggest lesson I learned from painting the interior is to be patient and to use a mask and gloves!  Thank goodness I had a mask with a nice respirator on it because the outside of the mask was nearly completely gray by the time I finished painting the inside.

I also ended up making another set of screen window frames; I'm such a perfectionist that the first set of  frames did not meet my standards.  That took less time than I thought because I bought the finest toothed saw blade I could.  It cut smoothly and with very little splintering.  That made finishing a breeze.  So, with new screen window fixtures, I began considering a couple other design issues.

The original hinge on the hatch was missing the hinge on both sides.  I had started to replace the hinge with a 1" hinge I found at the hardware store.  This worked okay, but the previous owner decided to drill new holes for the hinge they installed.  So, even with the new hinge, there were still holes in the hatch and the area above the hatch.  I had attempted to fill these holes with rivets, but the rivet holes were too large and they don't make a rivet large enough that will work in my rivet tool. That's when I thought about using a larger hinge.

I picked up a 2.5 inch from the hardware store.  This hinge would cover the holes from both of the previous hinges and would be a bit 'beefier.'  I hope to give this a try soon.  My only concern is whether the hinge holes will leak.  I'll caulk the hinge and the holes when I put them on.  This way, it will be both cosmetically and structurally sound.  One issue that creeps up by choosing these larger hinges is how to fasten them.  I might be able to rivet them, if I use a hole that my rivet gun can fill.  I will try that first.  If it does not work, I have purchased bolts that I could use and then I'll need to route out a channel in the screen window frame to make up for the additional space on the interior that the bolt requires.

With the interior nearly finished, at least at this stage, the cabin is close to being water tight.  The only other cabin related item I have planned is to build the storage boxes into the floor.  I have to investigate how the frame connects to the plywood subfloor.  If its possible, I am excited to build some storage space into the floor.  This will open up the bulkhead for more storage too.  I like how Joanne used aluminum to cover the edges of the hatch and the lids.  I plan to use a similar design.

I'm waiting on my hatch hinge, door and hatch locks and body trim to arrive.  While I wait for those items, I am planning to remove the aluminum cabinets from the hatch as well as the hatch cover.  By removing the hatch, I will be able to paint and rivet the non-essential holes in it much more easily. Once all of the cabinets are removed, I can start designing the galley and treating both the floor inside the galley and the cabin.

There are several pieces of metal, I believe they are aluminum, that are critical to the structural integrity of the teardrop.  These pieces fit on the floor of the galley and on the actual galley hatch. Thankfully, these pieces were kept by the previous owner, but they are in terrible condition.  (I found them when I was cleaning out the teardrop).  I hope to be able to hammer them back into shape and re-use them.  I doubt that it would be possible to find replacements for them, they are strange angles and shapes.  I discovered yesterday at Lowes that there is a spray for galvanized metal that 'restores' it to its original finish.  I may give that a shot on this trim once I've gotten it back to its original shape.


Quick note on the electrical design.  I want to remember to use 'connectors' for both the tail lights and galley light fixture.  This will make it simpler for me to remove the hatch, if I ever had to do so, without cutting all of my electrical wires.

I found this DC electrical panel from West Marine.  I like that it has LED's that light up and that it has two 12 volt receptacles built into it.  I'm thinking that if I used this panel in the galley, I could just use those two receptacles for the galley.  This would save me a bit of work wiring the two additional outlets.  Then, I would only have to put the two in the cabin.  This would also allow me to use the four circuit panel because I would only have four additional circuits.

 

I will add a tiny volt meter to my electrical box in the galley.  I have seen several that would fit the bill.  Will probably go with a red one to match the LED's on the breaker panel.  

The weekend can't come soon enough!

Electrical System: Beginning Stages

The internet is an amazing thing!

Through it, I have been connected with like minded individuals who love teardrop campers.  I have found them to be nothing but committed to helping others in the creation of their own teardrop trailers.  One of my greatest obstacles in moving forward with the Carpe Diem is the electrical system.  I've read hundreds of pages of what are called 'build journals.'  These are the records of ordinary people who have built teardrops and have, like me, kept a journal of the process and the step by step progress.

First a little background.

Many individuals enjoy the RV lifestyle. This means, at least to me, to be semi-off grid.  However, most true RV's frequent 'improved' camp sites.  By this, I mean that there is a power source, and often showers, running water, flushing toilets and so on.  Many RV's have both 12 and 120 volt systems and receptacles.  I think this makes sense.  Folks who enjoy RV's tend to enjoy all the comforts of 'home.' There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.  I, however,  prefer to camp off grid as often as I can.  My teardrop is really nothing more than a much sturdier tent!  For this reason, I have decided to install a 12 volt electrical system in the Carpe Diem.  If I find myself at an improved site, I will have an extension cord and circuit breaker on hand to plug in my battery tender and any possible devices that will run on 120 volt power.  Additionally, while not the most efficient use of power, there are many converters that allow one to use 120 volt equipment on 12 volt systems if there is a compelling need.  (I'm thinking at some point, my daughter will want to run a hair dryer when we are in the boonies!)  Careful monitoring of the battery system will be required; a monitor with a digital readout  is essential.

The primary reason I've decided to run only a 12 volt system has to do with simplicity.  After everything I've read, I think this is the best way for me to proceed.  The reason I'm putting so much energy into planning the electrical system is that the wiring will be 'hidden' by the insulation and plywood 'skin.'

One of the most helpful build journals I've come across is The Desert Dawg, built by Joanne.  She has created a website of each step of her build.  The most helpful section, for me, has been her electrical system.  She, like me, has installed only a 12 volt system for similar reasons.

I like the two diagrams you see below which are from her site.

The first shows how she connected her tow vehicle to the battery on the teardrop.  I don't feel comfortable hacking into my leased car's electrical system, so I will probably run a line directly to the battery (with a fuse inline).  If I can find a 'cut off' switch, I will install one in between the two batteries so that I don't accidentally run down my tow vehicle's battery when camped.

The second shows her circuit layout.  I will have essentially the same system, except that I will not have a radio installed.  Reading through her step by step description gave me a much better sense of how to do this.  When I had a couple of very specific questions, I posed them to her and she kindly and thoroughly responded to them.  The kindness of strangers never ceases to surprise and comfort me.  I hope that my 're-build' journal will prove helpful to someone in the future too.

I've ordered a few of my electrical devices.  I don't plan on officially starting on the electrical until the hatch hinge is fully replaced and the cabin is completely water tight.  On that note, I want to remember to apply fresh caulk to all of the seams on the aluminum skin before I add any insulation, etc.  I don't want any leaking to happen once I make the commitment to insulating.

I've also been giving some thought to building into the floor a storage compartment or two.  Joanne has two of these built into hers and I really like the way she finished off the edges in aluminum.  The spare tire could easily fit in such a compartment, as could any emergency gear that I don't necessarily need on a regular basis.  I'll explore that a bit more before I finish the cabin by adding some type of layer to the plywood.  I am fairly sure I'll end up covering the space with linoleum, just to make clean up and maintenance a bit easier.

I will also need to use Rustoleum to care for any rust on the frame of the trailer and to use a water proof undercoating on the plywood 'floor' of the trailer.  Need to figure out a way to get the teardrop up in the air enough for me to work on it.  Harbor Freight sold some steel floor jacks that might work.  A little more research on that is in order.

Back to Work

Well, Spring Break is over.  For me anyway.  My kiddos and wife are on vacation this week, so it was a bittersweet and very quiet morning today.  I was so discombobulated I forgot to eat breakfast.  I was just happy to make it safely to work!

I spent this evening making the second door and window frame.  It doesn't look like much, but these parts are important to the overall water tight seal of the door, so I wanted to take my time and do it right.  I also decided to paint them black.

I pulled out the table saw and made the bulkhead sliding doors.

The rest of the week is going to be pretty busy, so I might not get much more time to work on the cabin this week.